An Affair To Remember

With the millennial craze of the past two years (since no one
could decide which year to celebrate), parties and promos have been
the name of the game. No matter what the calendar says, though, if
you're looking for a way to get your name out there, promote a
new product or just draw a lot of traffic, what better way to
create a buzz and get noticed than with a special event or
promotion?

"A special event is a way to put a real face on your
product or service," says Kimberly McCall, founder of McCall
Media & Marketing Inc. and MarketingAngel.com in Freeport, Maine. "You can
also bolster your brand by pulling together an event that will have
positive connotations for your prospects. For example, sponsoring a
concert that raises money for the local animal shelter will elevate
you above just running an ad announcing the latest sale."

Smells like free publicity to us. But getting the media involved
isn't always an easy feat. "Obviously, there's got to
be a hook for the media to be interested," says Marley
Majcher, CEO of The Party Goddess!, a Pasadena, California,
catering and event planning company. "I've found that
linking up with a charity helps get attention. Often local chapters
of a national charity have public relations people who can help
promote a certain event and attract the attention of
writers."

If your event incorporates a nonprofit, you've got an extra
in. But there are other considerations when dealing with the press.
From the beginning stages of planning an event, you should
determine whether it's something worthy of coverage. Get the
word out early so local newspapers can include it in their calendar
sections or TV stations can make the necessary arrangements. And
make sure you give them something to work with. "If you want
the local TV station there, give them a visual-the more
unusual or creative the better," McCall says. "One retail
client decided to have a vintage VW Bug installed in her front
window. We turned the installation into a photo opportunity by
alerting the local TV stations and print photographers."

The end result? "Tons of publicity. It was unique, colorful
and wonderfully odd," says McCall.

Aside from the media, though, there are plenty of other details
to keep in mind while planning. Whether it's a one-time event,
an ongoing promotion or a product launch, success lies in attention
to detail-painstaking planning, a compelling concept and
fastidious follow-through. "Don't just whip up a promotion
with no legs and expect the media to hail you and your
products," McCall cautions. "Plan carefully, budget
adequately, and have contingency plans-like what to do if it
rains. Make sure you're not competing with other events that
will pull from yours. And publicize like crazy-from press
releases to opt-in e-mail lists. Send a postcard to all your
clients and prospects."

Like all other marketing efforts, have a goal in mind.
"Know exactly what it is you want to get out of the event, and
be able to quantify it," Majcher says. "Also, determine
what kind of image you want to communicate; can you afford to
communicate that image?"

The more specifics you nail down in the conceptual stages, the
easier it'll be to pull it together. But keep in mind that
while these types of events may get you noticed, they aren't
meant to replace advertising, but rather complement it.
"Special events are a creative way to do something a little
different, a little above and beyond," McCall says.
"It's just one piece of the marketing pie. It won't
stand on its own, but it will bolster other efforts."